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A Classic Show Still Shines: The Armando Show at iO West (January 24, 2015)

The iO West bar is packed on this Saturday night. Is it because of the $3 Olympias and $4 Miller Bottles, or is everyone here to see a show? It’s hard to tell. Tonight’s 9pm offering is the Armando Show, an hour long improvised comedy show inspired by an audience suggestion, which the special guest interprets through a personal and truthful improvised monologue. Inspired by that monologue, the cast perform scenes that, in turn, inspire a response from the special guest. This propels hilarious interchanges between the monologues and the company’s scenes.

The suggested phrase is “I Love You”. The host talks about how many meanings there are for that word. She wants more words to describe the many varieties of love. The cast begins a scene with coworkers in an office. The boss says she ADORES the marketing team. Her only concern is that it is comprised of only guys. Cut to a scene interviewing a female. Cut to the female working on the team. These quick cuts keep the action moving and results in some big laughs

Later on the monologue is about Vaseline Glass. It is a green colored glass made with uranium that glows under black light. The manufacturing process was toxic, so they stopped making them. However, the finished product is safe and used to be hard to find. However, with the internet, it’s easy to locate now. She misses the hunt. The cast launches into a scene of Antique Roadshow. A man is selling and old Irish armoire with a secret compartment that many are afraid to open. This leads to a hilarious back and forth as he tries to open it.

Overall, it was a hilarious night of improv. The actors quickly established locations and relationships that led to very funny situations like firefighters responding to an emergency at a VERY slow pace. On this night, a ticket to this early show gave you access to all the later shows as well. Take advantage now of this great deal for live comedy and cheap drinks!